Page 129 of His Two Hidden Masks

“I was angry. I wanted to hurt him. He admitted that he had a woman on the side, so I told him another lie. I told him that Sara was not his child. I told him that she was Nico’s baby. Sara heard me.”

I couldn’t breathe. This was the argument that my sister and I had overheard in her room. “She was in the wardrobe,” I said. “I was there, too.” I remembered the yelling and the pressure of my sister’s hand covering my mouth. The fear in her eyes when she looked at me.

“I found your sister’s diary after searching for years,” my mother said.

“It was in the wardrobe, under the loose board.”

“Yes, how did you know?”

“I was there the day she hid it. I remember, Mama.”

“Oh, darling,” my mother grasped my hand, “I read her diary. She had entries about summer love with a boy whose name began with the letter R. She was cryptic, but it was clear she had slept with this boy.

“When I saw the necklace at your throat and you said it was Roberto’s, I knew,” she said. “I have been searching all these years for an answer. Why would she do it? Your sister heard my lie and she believed it.”

“She thought she was sleeping with her half-brother.”

“Yes, and the night I told your father that lie, she took the pills, Bella.” My mother’s voice was choked with tears. “My beautiful girl killed herself.”

I couldn’t speak.

“Your father and I decided that we needed to protect our family from this shame. I knew in my bones that it was our fault she was gone. I know now that the fault is all mine.”

“Mama, you didn’t realize she would hear you.”

“I was careless and angry. I should never have lied like that.”

“Roberto knows about Sara,” I said. “He is the one who told me she killed herself. He doesn’t know what happened, either, but he hates Papa for it. He thought Sara had argued with him before she died.”

“That is why he wanted to destroy us,” she whispered.

“I always knew something was wrong between us, Mama,” I said. “When we were engaged, it felt as though he wasn’t really there with me. He only just told me that he and Sara were together. That’s why I went into her room.”

“I have failed you so many times,” my mother said. “I wanted your father to suffer, not my beautiful girls.”

“Mama, don’t say that,” I said.

“It is true.” She looked up at me. “When your sister died, something shifted in me. My love for you became tinged with fear. I looked at you and was reminded that I am a terrible mother.”

“Mama, Sara would not want you to carry this,” I said.

“I failed to protect her and I won’t fail you.” My mother gripped my hands. “I want you to leave Venice. I want to unchain you from the obligations of your family. Your legacy here, your inheritance will always be yours, but you do not need to stay here and suffer.

You deserve to explore the world, to discover who you are. Venice will always be with you, my beautiful girl. This is why I didn’t want you to marry Roberto. I didn’t want you to make the same mistake I did and marry a man for the wrong reasons.” Tears streamed down her cheeks.

I realized tears were streaming down mine, too. “But I did marry someone, Mama,” I whispered. “And my reasons are definitely suspect.” I laughed through my tears.

“I know, you crazy child.” My mother laughed for the first time in a long while. Her laughter was deep and full, and I wondered how many years it had been since I’d heard it.

“Can you believe that I’m actually glad you married a perfect stranger last night? I see how you look at him. I see how he looks at you.”

“You do?”

“You need to follow your dream,” my mother said. “Do not give up Bella Baci. You have a creativity and a fire that can’t be contained.”

My mind spun as her words sunk in. “Venice is my home.”

“Venice will always be your home, but don’t let it become your prison. She is a queen. She is in your soul. Go be with Dylan, discover who you are and know that I will always be here with you. Stay married to him, divorce him. Do as you please. Just be happy.”

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